Engine distributor and cylinder arrangement



March 1, 1960 R. R. HUTCHISON 2,926,643

ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT Filed June 28, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 1, 1960 i Filed June 22;. 19,54

R. R; HUTCHISON 2,926,643 ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR AND CYLJINDER ARRANGEMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR CYLINDE ARRANGEMENT r vRobert R. Hutchison, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General MotorsCorporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June28, 1954, Serial No. 439,569

4 Claims. Cl. 123 -55) This invention relates to engines and hasparticular relation toa fuelpump, distributor and cylinder bankarrangement for internal combustion engines for automotive and otheruses.

In the installation of engines in motor vehicles it is preferable tohave the exhaust conduit on one side of the vehicle and the fuel line onthe other, it being par ticularlydesirable to have the fuel line on theleft-hand side ofthe vehicle where it is customary to have the fillertube for the fuel tank for supplying the engine fuel. With V typeengines heretofore designed it has not been easy to make this kind ofinstallation due to the practice heretofore followed of designing V typeengines in such manner that the left-hand bank of cylinders is closer tothe front of the engine than the right-hand bank of cylinders. .It hasbeen difficult to locate the fuel pump on the left-hand side of theengine without in some -manner increasing the length or width of theengine. Under such circumstances the fuel pump has usually been locatedon the right-hand side of the engine where in order to have the fuelline extend down the left-hand side of the vehicle it was necessary tohave the fuel line cross over the engine from the right-hand to theleft'hand side. Also with engines in which the left-hand bank ofcylinders extends forwardly farther than the right-hand ba'nkofcylinders it has been necessary. to install the distributorof the enginewith the shaft thereof on the left-hand side of the camshaft. With thecamshaft rotating in a counterclockwise direction when considering thecamshaft from the rear of the engine it will be apparent that rotationof the camshaft has created a thrust on the gear employed in driving thedistributor shaft which tended to move the gear toward the lower end ofthe distributor shaft. It has therefore been necessary to provide athrust bearing for the gear which had to be located on the lower end ofthe shaft and awa from the main bearing supporting the shaft.

It isnow proposed to place the distributor shaft on the right hand sideof the camshaft where the rotation of the camshaft which results indrivingthe gear on the distributor shaft tends to produce an axialthrust on the gear in the direction of the bearing supporting thedistributor. shaft. It is possible to so locate the distributor shaftwhen the right-hand bank of cylinders leads the left-hand bank ofcylinders of the engine.

This arrangement of the component parts of the engine makes it possibleto build the engine more economically and to install the engine in avehicle in a more satisfactory manner.

In the drawingf y l it Figure l is redress elevational view ofaV typeengine embracing the principles of the invention. In the structure asdisclosed by Figure 1 certain external parts of the engine are brokenaway to better illustrate the interior construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the distributor drive meansemployed in the structure disclosed by Figure 1.

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Figure 3 is a diagrammatical illustration of an engine such as thatdisclosed by Figure l and an arrangement of the exhaust and fuel systemsfor the engine that may be employed in installing the engine in a motorvehicle or other structure.

The engine 10 comprises a frame 11 having right and left hand banks ofcylinders formed therein and indicated at 12 and 13 respectively. Anynumber of cylinders may be formed in the banks of cylinders 12 and 13with the cylinders in each bank interposed between or staggered withrespect to the cylinders in the other bank. The cylinders have pistonstherein connected by connecting rods to a common crankshaft indicated at1.4. It is proposed to design the frame 11 in suchmanner that theright-hand bank of cylinders 12 is nearer the front or leads theleft-hand bank of cylinders 13 of the engine 10. The banks of cylinders12 and 13 have exhaust manifolds 16 and 17 respectively and on oppositesides of the engines and the two manifolds may be connected together orto a common exhaust conduit 18 by a crossover conduit 19 extendingbeneath the engine or around one or the other of the ends thereof. Theexhaust conduit 1.8 may be on the right-hand side of the engine with theleading bank of cylinders 12. If the engine is installed in the front ofa motor vehicle the conduit 18 may extend rearwardly through a mufiler21 and terminate in an exhaust pipe 22 projecting from the rear of thevehicle.

With the cylinder bank 12 leading the cylinder bank 13 it will beapparent that room is provided in front of the cylinder bank 13 forinstalling the fuel pump 23 of the engine in a suitable position wherethere will be ample space between the fuel pump and the heated waterjackets of the cylinder bank 13. With such an arrangement it is possibleto service the fuel pump with convenience and the fuel pump will not beexcessively heated in such manner as possibly to result in vapor lockdiffieulties in the fuel system of the engine. In the present instancethe fuel pump 23 is installed on the side of the timing chain cover 24which is secured. to. the front wall of the engine and forms a part ofthe engine frame. in such position'it will be noted that fuel pump 23 isdirectly accessible from the right-hand side of the vehicle and it istherefore possible to directly connect thereto a fuel line 26 adapted toextend rearwardly of the engine along the left-hand side of the vehiclein which the engine may be installed. A fuel tank 27 may beinstalled atthe rear of the vehicle with the filler tube 28 therefor projectingoutwardly from the left-hand end thereof. The fuel line 26 may beconnected to the fuel tank 27 for supplying fuel to the fuel pump 23 foroperating the engine 10. p 7

With the cylinder banks 12 and 13 so arranged that the cylinder .bank 12leads the cylinder bank 13 it will beapparent that it is possible toinsert the ignition distributor 29 of the engine into an opening in theengine frame 11 with the distributor shaft 31 thereof disposed at therear of the cylinder bank 12 and on the righthand side of the camshaft32 of the engine. To 0pera tively install the distributor 29 the frame11 is provided with a bearing support 33 in which bearing sleeve 34 maybe suitably secured and in which the distributor shaft 31 may berotatably mounted. To properly secure the distributor 29 against theframe 11 and in such manner that it is not necessary'to expend anyeffort in aligning the distributor shaft when installing the distributorit is proposed to provide the casing 36 of the distributor with aflanged end 37 adapted to engage the outer end of the boss in which thesupport 33 is formed. To secure the end 37 against the support 33 it isproposed merely to provide a bifurcated bracket 38 having the pair ofends thereof engaging the flange 37 and the opposite end thereof restingon an abutment 39 formed on the exterior surface of the frame 11. Thebracket 38 may be secured against the flange 37 in such manner that theflange may move. radially with the shaft 31 by employing a bolt 41'projecting thr'ough the bracket 38 between the bifurcated ends thereofand the abutment 39 and into a threaded opening formed in the frame 11.It will be apparent that the distributor may be easily installed merelyby thrusting the end of the shaft 31 into the bearing sleeve 34 andtightening thebracket 38 upon the flange 37 by manipulating the bolt 41.

The shaft 31 has a sleeve 42 secured upon and extending beyond the lowerend thereof. The sleeve 42 is secured against rotation with respect tothe shaft 31 but may have limited axial movement with respect thereto.Secured upon or forming a part of the sleeve 42 is a spiral gear 43 withteeth adapted to mesh with the teeth of a similar spiral gear 44 whichis mounted for rotation in the frame 11 upon the rear end of thecamshaft 32.

The upper end of the sleeve 42 with the gear 43 secured thereon isadapted to engage the lower end of the bearing sleeve 34, the bearingsleeve thereupon providing a thrust bearing for the gear 43. With theshaft 32 rotating in a counterclockwise direction it will be apparentthat the gear 43 will develop an axial thrust tending to cause thesleeve 42 to engage the lower end of the sleeve 34.

The lower end of the shaft 31 may be provided with a tongue for engaginga groove in the end of shaft as which may be employed in driving thelubricating pump of the engine 10. The shaft 46 may be guided in anenlarged opening formed in a boss 47 projecting laterally from a part ofthe engine frame 11. It will be apparent that the distributor shaft 31may be connected to the pump shaft 46 merely by projecting the sleeve 42downwardly upon the upper end of the shaft 46.

With the arrangement of the components of the engine in theconfiguration illustrated it will be apparent that the engine will beeconomical to construct and to install in a vehicle chassis. Theinstallation of such an engine will conserve space desirable forinstalling the steering gear and the heating and ventilating and otherequipment with which motor vehicles for automotive and other uses arenow provided.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising an en gine frame having apair of rows of cylinders formed therein with one of said rows ofcylinders being arranged in said frame in advance of the other of saidrows of cylinders, a camshaft for said engine and mounted in said frameand rotating in a direction tending to roll said camshaft toward saidother of said rows of cylinder a drive shaft in said engine and mountedin said frame said rows of cylinders being arranged in said frame with.the right-hand row of said cylinders extending forwardly of theleft-hand row of said cylinders and with respect to one end of saidengine, a camshaft for said engine and driven by said crankshaft androtated by said crank- 4 shaft in a counterclockwise direction withrespect to said end of said engine, an ignition distributor for saidengine having a drive shaft extending into said frame on the right-handside of said camshaft from said end of said engine and extending acrosssaid frame and behind said right-hand row of cylinders of said engine, abearing mounted in said frame for supporting said drive shaft, a gear onsaid camshaft for driving said drive shaft, a gear on said drive shaftoperative'ly associated with said gear on said camshaft and rotatingsaid drive shaft in response'to the rotation of said camshaft, saiddrive shaft gear when rotated by said camshaft developing an axialthrust with respect to said drive shaft and directing said thrustagainst said bearing.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having acamshaft mounted therein, a row of cylinders formed in said frame alongsaid camshaft, an ignition distributor having a drive shaft extendinginto said name at thei'end ofjsaid row of cylinders and at one side" ofsaid camshaft, a bearing mounted in said frame supporting s'aid driveshaft, a gear mounted on said drive shaft beyond said bearing and inaxial engagement with the adjacent end of said bearing, means associatedwith said camshaft and rotating said gear for driving said distributor,said shaft and said gear being mounted for rotation and support in saidbearing throughout the length of said shaft within said frame, and meansrotating said camshaft in a direction to thrust said gear axiallyagainst said adjacent end of said bearing.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having a rowof cylinders formed therein, an ignition distributor for said engine andhaving a drive shaft projecting from said distributor and into saidframe, a collar formed on said distributor and engaging said framearound said shaft, a bracket formed to engage said collar and having anend adapted to engage said frame, means securing said bracket to saidframe between said end engaging said frame and said collar, a bearing insaid frame and supporting said shaft and centering said collar andaligning said collar upon said frame by radial movement of said collarbetween said bracket and said frame, gear means mounted on said shaftinwardly of said bearing and having a thrust face formed at one endthereof and engaging the end of said bearing, and means rotating saidgear for rotating said shaft in a direction to urge said thrust face onsaid gear into engagement with said end of said bearing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent- OTHER REFERENCES 1949--51-Ford Passenger Car Shop Manual, Ford Motor Company, Nov. 24, 1950,Dearborn, Michigan,

1953 Ford Truck Shop Manual, Ford Motor Company, March 1953, Dearborn,Michigan, page 61.

1956 Ford Car Shop Manual," Ford Motor Company, September 1955,DearbormfMichigan, pages 48 and 111.

